Women and 'futebol' in Brazil: an autoethnographic study

"As a little girl I dreamed of being a ballet dancer, because that's what was expected of me as a well-behaved delicate girl. Today, however, I wear my boots and grab my whistle: In Australia, I am a football referee. Growing up in Brazil in the 1970s, women were forbidden to play futebol - a ban that, after 38 years, ended in 1979." Applying autoethnography as a method, this study investigates the norms and values within the Brazilian society and its views towards women in football. Exploring my own history as a female growing up in Brazil and the influences of traditional Brazilian gender and social norms, I reflect upon my own prejudicial attitudes towards the sport. Until today female football players continue to face difficulties and barriers for recognition and development due to the lack of support and promotion, as well as lack of interest in women's football. This dissertation examines gender and social inequalities in Brazilian football using sociological and historical lenses and a reflexifive methodology. Divided into mini-audio episodes, I write the self into research as a way of achieving wider cultural, political and social understanding about women's football and the possibility of change.